Coffee lovers clamor for Konas pricey beans

Published: May 12, 2004 8:00PM

CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii (AP) It started as a backyard business for Marin Artukovich, a few acres of coffee planted high above the coastline here on the slopes of a volcano.
Today, just seven years later, his Koa Coffee Plantation on the Big Islands Kona coast comprises 80 acres of coffee trees on seven parcels of land. It yielded about 700,000 pounds last year, and employs 45 people during the busiest part of the season.
Its a far cry from Artukovichs first year in business, when 38,000 pounds of the shiny red cherries holding the beloved bean were picked by family and visiting friends.
The demand for Kona coffees gotten better and better, said Artukovich, whose beans are considered among the best in Hawaii, the only state with commercial coffee production. We didnt envision that.
Coffee has been grown here for nearly two centuries, but demand for the pricey beans from Kona is swelling.
In tourist shops, most Kona coffee is sold in blends containing just 10 percent of beans grown here. Bags of the pure stuff typically sell for $20 to $25 a pound here, and can go for $40 or more on the mainland.
Never mind that Kona coffee is among the worlds more expensive brews. Aficionados are driven to Kona coffees unique taste, and with supply short, theres barely enough to go around.
Its like a well-aged bourbon or whiskey. Its different, said Tom Greenwell, owner of Greenwell Farms, which has 22 acres of coffee. You can find other coffees similar, but they leave you hanging at the end of the cup.
Some 650 coffee farms occupy a 20-mile-long stretch along the Big Islands western coast, set amid fields of hardened lava with panoramic views of the Pacific. Tourists flock here for tours and to snatch up bags of beans.
Were becoming the Napa Valley of coffee, Artukovich said.
Kona coffee is strong yet smooth, a full-bodied brew, sometimes with a fruity hint. Coffee thrives here in Kona because the soil is perfect, as is the rainfall. Ample sunlight comes in the course of the day, but clouds manage to block out afternoon rays that are too strong.
Kona is home to an estimated 93 percent of the Big Islands total acreage of coffee crops, producing an estimated 96 percent of the islands coffee.
The total acreage of Big Island coffee fields rose from 2,800 in 1998 to 3,500 last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Industry sources say the number of plantings in Kona will continue to rise because all the coffee grown is being sold.
Everyone whos in the market is selling all of their product, said Roger Dilts, president of the Kona Coffee Council and owner of the five-acre Aloha Farms.
Now, Kona beans have found their way back onto the shelves of Starbucks all of the nearly 4,200 company-owned stores in North America. Its the first time in seven years the coffee giant has offered Hawaiis choicest brew, and its reappearance can mean only one thing, farmers here say even more demand.
Theres going to be a lot of people trying it again for the first time, said Greenwell.
Starbucks wont say how much 100 percent Kona coffee it bought to stock its stores with beans that went on sale this month in half-and full-pound bags priced at $19 and $35.
For years, the chain said it had not been able to find an adequate supply even for a limited offering such as this one, but that changed.
Kona is such a limited crop to begin with that were pretty particular about the coffee we offer. We always want to make sure the coffee truly exemplifies the true crop, said Andrew Linnemann, Starbucks director of green coffee, as unroasted beans are called.
Growers say Starbucks, in some ways, is responsible for Kona coffees growth. Its track record of introducing coffee lovers to exclusive brews combined with its remarkable growth has fueled interest for specialty coffees.
Farmers say theyre not getting rich off their crops. Greenwell estimates a five-acre farm here could yield about $50,000 annually before overhead. It would require the work of a five-person family and still necessitate hiring seasonal help, he said.
The costs for labor and land alone in Kona are many times higher than those in a foreign coffee center like Costa Rica. Artukovich says workers here make an average of $8 to $10 an hour, while a Central American or South American worker might go home with $1 or $2 for an entire day.
Im basically doing it for free and Im having a hard time, said Bob Nelson, who has increased the number of trees at his Lehuula Farms from 1,100 in 1989 to 4,000.
Kona farmers produced an estimated 3.3 million pounds of coffee in 2002-03, according to the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service, just a tiny fraction of the worlds total coffee crop.
On the Net:
Kona Coffee Council: http://www.kona-coffee-council .com/
Koa Coffee Plantation: http://www.koacoffee.com/
Greenwell Farms: http://www.greenwellfarms.com/
National Coffee Association of U.S.A.: http://www.ncausa.org/